All That's Left Of Me
by relic yuy
Summary: How bad did Hyde really mess Jackie up? He'll find her in the last place he ever thought she would be. UPDATED! Chapter 8, A quiet, festive lunch with the entire gang at Kelso's place the following day goes very badly.
1. Chapter 1

All That's Left Of Me  
By relic yuy  
Pairing: JH  
Summary: How bad did Steven mess up Jackie? She may be in the last place he'd ever expect to find her.

Hyde pulled his jacket tighter around himself and shivered. They weren't kidding about Chicago being the windy city. The cold was cutting right through him but he didn't want to head back to the hotel. He was still fuming. Damn Kelso! Hyde rubbed his cheek. It would probably bruise later. What the hell had Kelso been thinking?

* * *

_Kelso and Brooke had invited everyone over for Christmas. Eric, Donna & Hyde had come together. Fez had made a brief appearance earlier because he was spending Christmas Eve with his soon to be inlaws. As they sat around the dinner table, Donna asked about Jackies and Kelso quickly informed everyone that Jackie wouldnt be able to make it this year. _

"_Why? Is she too busy sucking the life and money out of some rich old bastard?" Hyde had chuckled._

"_She had to work." Kelso said tightly. Brooke had glanced over at him and placed a hand over his._

"_Work? Goldigging is a job now?" Hyde asked. Eric and Donna giggled along._

"_Will you shut the fuck up about Jackie!" Kelso snapped, his voice raising._

_Betsy began to whimper and Brooke excused them so she could tuck her daughter into bed. _

"_What the hell is wrong with you, Kelso?" Hyde said as soon as Brooke had left. "We were just kidding around."_

"_Just drop it ok."_

"_Whatever." _

_The rest of dinner was consumed without further incident. Afterwards, Donna went to help Brooke with dessert while the boys collapsed on the sofa in the living room. _

"_I can't believe Fez is getting married." Eric said._

"_Fez was married to your sister, morron." Hyde reminded._

"_Oh yeah. Well all I can say is that I'm glad that's over..."_

"_Yeah," Kelso added "I'm happy for him too. He was pretty depressed when he and Jackie broke up."_

"_That was Jackie's only breakup where the guy cried more than she did." Hyde smiled._

"_Yeah," Kelso agreed but in a much more sombre tone. "She was really messed up after you."_

"_Oh I screwed her up pretty bad but so did you."_

"_Well...Not as bad as you!"_

"_Whatever, man. You're the one who cheated on her with like a million girls."_

"_Yeah, well... If I could find a time machine, that could take me back in time, I wouldn't have done that!"_

"_Right Kelso.."_

"_It's true," Kelso's voice began to rise, "and I especially wouldn't have run away that summer so she never would have started dating you and you couldn't have screwed her the way you did!"_

"_What is your problem? She was annoying as hell, she pissed everyone off, the only thing she was good for was a good lay. So what if we fucked her up? She always thought she was too good for us and she probably couldn't make it tonight because she's turned into her drunken slut of a mother and she's too whoring herself to get at some old bastard's money!"_

"_Hyde, you're an idiot. Shut the fuck up."_

"_Why? What, are you sleeping with her again?" Hyde laughed, slipping back into a teasing mood. "In that case, good for you. If she's good for anything, she's great in the sack."_

_Brooke and Donna steped back into the living room just in time to see Kelso's fist collide with Hyde's face. Everone froze as Hyde tumbled to the ground in shock and Kelso loomed angrily above him._

"_Steven," Brooke said, her voice shaking. "maybe you should leave."_

* * *

"Fucking, Kelso!" Hyde said to himself. He needed a drink and something to take his mind off of this night. The flashing lights ahead announced a strip club. It was sleezy looking but he wasn't picky. 


	2. Chapter 2

All That's Left Of Me (Part 2)  
By Relic  
Pairing: JH  
Summary: Hyde's thoughts as he sits in the strip club

The club stank of tabacco, alcohol and dried semen. The tables around the stage were full but Hyde managed to find a seat at the bar. Probably for the best, he thought, in this shithole, the girls were probably good from far and far from good. From where he was sitting, with the alcohol starting to run through his veins and the thick smoke wrapping the stage in a mysterious fog, any girl looked good.

The patrons around him ranged from a few testonerone pumped college boys to pervy old men, practically drooling all over themselves. Everyone was well into their cups. Some rambunctious and others sullen and depressed. What else could be expected at a strip club on Christmas Eve? At least no one was feeling chatty and Hyde could be left with his thoughts.

Waving the bartender over for another beer, he let his thoughts run back to Kelso. No one could deny that over the years, Kelso had grown up considerably. He was less accident prone, never cheated, adored his daughter and somehow he was still employed and doing well. Still, Kelso loved a good burn, probably more than anyone else did. So what was his problem tonight? It's not like they hadn't burned Jackie before and they had had a good laugh at how badly they had messed her up. Kelso had never been quick to defend her before so maybe he was sleeping with her again.

That wouldn't surprise him. He remembered how often he had practically had to peel Kelso off of Jackie back when they were dating. No matter how many times Hyde would frog him or hit him in the eye, Kelso always cluelessly came back for more. Jackie barely reacted. Sure she would push him away sometimes but for the most part she would just roll her eyes or ignore him. Probably why Kelso kept trying, Hyde realised. She was probably playing hard to get. God! He felt like such a tool! He wondered how many times Kelso had nailed her while they were dating. She really was a slut, he thought to himself and smirked bitterly.

He remembered the first time she said she loved him. And like a dumbass, he believed her. The words came so easily out of her mouth, it was like talking about the weather. She loved Kelso, himself, Fez for a short, disturbing amount of time. It was all a game to her. She used love, like most women use sex, to get what they want.

Why the hell hadn't he seen it before? Eric was right, she was the devil. Tempting and beautiful, the way she smiled at him, she kissed his neck, said his name, "believed" in him, the way she did little things like make him lunch to make his day a little better... Damn her! And damn him for believing her. He had been happy with her. Like a moron, he had let her pull his string, playng into her hands like a puppet.

"$10 for a lap danse," said a curly haired blonde that looked far too young to be working here. Hyde shook his head and waved her away but she helped him remember something.

He had gotten his revenge. Sam. The day his stripper wife had come home had been the day he had won. Jackie's little love games had ended right there. He'd gotten control of his life again and he enjoyed the smug satisfaction of having beat her at her own game. She had spent the last two years pushing and pushing him and all of a sudden all her hard work had crumbled right in front of her. He loved it. He loved the thrill of seeing her crushed. Loved that he was no longer her pawn.

When she pulled herself back together pretty quickly, he knew he had been right about her. She didn't miss him, she missed having someone to shove around. Now, he was loving more than ever that Fez and Kelso now drooled over his wife. Even Donna was more interested in welcoming Sam than helping her friend out. Maybe they had all seen it. Maybe they all knew she had just played him. Had they all known? Well, no one made an idiot out of him. He burned her every chance he got. He was brutal about it and he could practically see her confidence crumbling away. It thrilled him.

He hated her, just as much as he had loved her. And he had loved her. So much it made him sick. He loved everything about her, the way she tasted, her evil streak, her beauty, the sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him, her passion whether they were in the bedroom or they were arguing, she never did anything half assed. God he loved her. Time didn't do anything to dim the feeling. That was even more apparent when she started showing signs of liking Fez. He was so jealous he could barely stand it. That was about the time when he and Sam began their screaming fits followed by intense brutal nights of sex. Anything to keep his mind off of someone else touching Jackie. When she finally bagged Fez, Sam was long gone, not that he cared but it became harder for him to flaunt her in front of Jackie. His burns became even sharper, he couldn't help himself. Somehow, they worked this time. Jackie had dumped Fez and was off to Chicago less than a month after new years.

It should have ended there. He was sure it would have but how wrong he was. He missed her, thought of her everyday and it just got worse as time went on. He hated himself for it. He hated that even when she was gone he still couldn't stop wanting her. She was terrible for him. He convinced himself that she would have tossed him aside. She knew she was too good for him, he knew as well. It was only a matter of time. So instead of missing her, he countered thoughts of her with ideas of what she might be doing now. More often than not, he imagined she had turned into her mother, knowing how much Jackie would have hated that. It made him feel a little better. But not much.

He ordered another beer and looked to the stage as they announced the new girl. Maybe he should stop drinking now, even the new stripper was starting to look like Jackie.


	3. Chapter 3

All That's Left Of Me (Part 3)  
By: Relic  
AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It gives me the push I need to keep writing.

The stripper on stage began dancing and Hyde had to put down his beer and rub his eyes. The smoke and his distance from the stage didn't allow a clear view but she looked like Jackie. A lot like Jackie. Too much like Jackie. He laughed to himself, there was no way Jackie was a stripper. Not only was Jackie too good for that but she hated strippers. Well, she did have a pretty good reason, Hyde thought to himself. He had been shocked that Jackie hadn't torn Sam apart. That would have been a great chick fight. Hyde smirked. Jackie would have kicked Sam's ass, hands down!

Sam had been okay. The sex was good, not great. He had started picking fights with her just so they could find some sort of spark. This of course had no coincidence whatsoever with the fact that you would constantly argue with Jackie, would it? The little voice in Hyde's head pipped up. Nope. No coincidence at all, Hyde snapped back. There was no lack of trying from Sams end, she dressed in the skimpy costumes, gave him lap dances and did all the other things one would expect from a stripper but Hyde just wasn't all that impressed. He would have been at one point in his life but not since Jackie. Hyde usually found himself watching Sam strip while imagining it was Jackie. He knew she had a secret little dirty side to her and he would have loved to watch her strip.

The girl on stage had taken off most of her clothes and was now dancing around in her undergarments. It was somewhat satisfying to imagine her as Jackie. Some guys in front were getting impatient and yelling at her to take off her clothes already. Hyde's jaw clenched. Not only did he hate to see a girl treated like that, even if she was a stripper but it was killing his fantasy. He wanted lookalike Jackie to strip for him, not a bar full of horney perverts. One of the guys reached out and grabbed at the girls ankle as she danced by. He tried pulling her onto his lap but she grabbed onto the pole and tried to yank away. The men in the audience either laughed or cheered the man on but Hyde had started to make his way over to the stage. There was just something about this girl that made him want to protect her. Maybe cause she looks like Jackie, dumbass, said the little voice in Hydes head. Just as Hyde got to the jerk's table he was shoved aside by 2 bouncers. The grabber was yanked none too gently out of the club. Hyde looked up at the girl but she had turned and run off the stage without finishing her act.

"Damnit!" Hyde growled and walked back to the bar. The curly blonde he had seen before was walking by and he stopped her. "How much for a lapdanse?"

"$10" She smiled as sexily as she could at him.

Hyde stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "Not you." He looked back at the empty stage. "Her."

"Um... Booboo is new. She doesn't do that yet."

"How about for $20?"

"The girls don't usually start private danses until they've been here a month. She's only been here a week."

"Well, she'll have to start at some point," Hyde was getting impatient. "Tell her I'll give her $25."

The blonde looked nervous for a moment and excused herself for a minute. Hyde watched her walk over to the bar and headed back there himself for his beer. She spoke to a woman in her mid thirties with light brown hair and a great rack. She was obviously the manager. The blonde, who he heard was named Ginger, explained the situation to the manager, Sandy. She looked over at him and gave him the once over. There was a bit of a discussion and finally with a nod and a reasuring word to the blonde, walked over to Hyde.

"Ginger tells me you want a lapdanse," she said with a charming smile.

"Yeah," Hyde replied, very Zen. "From Booboo."

"How about you pick another girl? There are lots of girls here who'd love to give a handsome guy like you a private danse."

"I want her."

"She's not ready for private danses yet. She's still fresh."

"Maybe that's why I want her."

"That's a lot of pressure for a new girl. The crowds really like her. I don't want her to be scared off."

"What do you think I'll do to her?"

"I'm not sure, why are you so insistent on her?"

"She reminds me of someone."

"Hmm... well, she's had a few offers this week but she had always turned them down. I don't think $25 will change her mind."

"Listen, I'll give her $50 or even $100, that's 10 times more than a regular lapdanse. I just... I want her."

"You're a persistant one Mr...?"

"Hyde."

"Mr. Hyde. I'll have a chat with her but I can't guarantee anything. Come with me."

She led him to the back where there were private rooms and asked him to have a seat behind a curtain. Once the curtain was closed he heard her ask someone to go get Booboo. Within a few minutes he heard Sandy begin talking in a hushed voice.

"There's a guy here who wants a lapdanse and he only wants you... I know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to but he's offering $100 bucks. I know you've been struggling for rent... He's cute, I'd probably give him the lapdanse myself if he wanted me... No no. He's a young one. About your age, maybe a little older... It's up to you baby but this kind of money doesn't come along every day, let me tell you... Yeah? Ok, he's in room 3. Good luck."

So she had agreed. Hyde sat back and relaxed in his chair. He took a sip from his beer bottle as he waited for her to come in. You'll regret this, said the voice and Hyde wishes he could frog it. He was feeling self destructive tonight. So what if he'd probably spend the next few days thinking exclusively about his ex and wallowing in self pity, loathing and disgust. Tonight, he was just drunk enough to sit back and enjoy the show. He heard the curtain open and the click of her heels as she walked over to him.

"Ok, there are two rules. There's no touching and you have to pay upfront."

"Holy shit!" Hyde nearly fell out of his seat. "Jackie?"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It has come to my attention that my Hyde is a ruthless bastard. I must agree that I have made him a little more harsh than I had planned but this chapter should give him the slap in the face he so much deserves.

* * *

"Holy shit," Hyde nearly fell out of his chair. "Jackie?"

Jackie, who had walked right passed him and straight for the cassette player, finally looked up and blinked at him. Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other silently. Hyde's jaw had practically hit the floor but Jackie either didn't recognize him or she seemed to be looking right through him.

"Well?" Jackie said after a few moments.

Hyde, who still hadn't gotten over the shock yet, continued to stare at her incredulously.

"Didn't you hear me?" Jackie said. "You have to pay upfront."

"Jackie," Hyde got out of his chair and headed towards her. "What are you doing here?"

"Listen Pal, I'm only going to tell you one more time. There are only 2 rules. NO touching," She said holding her hand out to stop him from coming closer, "and you pay upfront, so unless I see $100, I am out of here."

"Jackie, what the hell? It's me Hyde."

"I know who you are." The words were spoken evenly, like she was simply stating a fact.

"Kelso said you were working!"

"I am working."

"Stripping!?"

"Ironic, huh? So you have the money or what?"

Still shell shocked, Hyde reached into his pocket, pulled out the money from his wallet and handed it over. Jackie took it, counted it and stuffed it in her boot. She turned around and hit play on the small cassette player and motioned for him to sit so they could begin.

"Jackie, stop! What the hell? Why are you doing this?"

"You paid for it. Now sit back and enjoy the show."

"Quit it! WHY are you stripping?"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You have half an hour, you wanna talk or you want a dance?"

"TALK!" Hyde said like it was the most obvious choice. At any other point in his life, Hyde would have punched himself for saying that.

"Your buck," Jackie shrugged, leaning against the little table where the cassette player was.

Once again they stared at each other in silence. Neither quite knew how to begin. Hyde didn't think he had to say anything, he wanted an explaination. Jackie on the other hand was pretty sure what he wanted to talk about but wasn't about to volunteer anything. He had long since lost the right to know what happened in her life. Besides, it was his time and secretly she was trying to stall. Dancing in front of a faceless crowd was one thing but in front of one guy, especially a guy who you had so much history with, was something completely different.

"Well?" Hyde said expectantly.

"Well what? You wanna talk? Talk."

"What are you doing here?"

"Working."

"As a stripper!?"

Jackie looked down at her outfit. "Slutty shirt, tiny skirt, long black leather boots... Yup! It would seem so."

"WHY?"

"Got rent to pay."

"Jackie, you're rich!"

"No, my parents are rich."

"So? What's the difference?"

"They are rich. I am not."

"So ask them for money."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why not? It's better than being a stripper!"

Jackie arched her brow gracefully and smirked seductively at him. "You love strippers," She said, sauntering over to him.

Hyde took a step back. "YOU are not a stripper."

"Actually, I am."

"No, you're NOT."

"Sit down," Jackie whispered seductively in his ear, "let me show you." Jackie pushed him into the chair and sat on his lap facing him.

"Jackie," Hyde tried to push her off. "You're better than this."

"I tried better than this and you didn't want it." She said grinding down on him.

Her words were like a sucker punch to the gut. Hyde's heart crumbled a little but her proximity was driving him crazy. "I wanted it," He whispered barely audible.

"You chose a stripper. Now let's see if I can do this as well as she did."

Jackie hopped off his lap and began unbuttoning her shirt. She coyly flashed him her bra then turned around and exposed one naked shoulder, then the other. Slowly, she peeled off the shirt and waved her hips at him. She had felt his hardness when she was on his lap and she was going to take advantage of this moment. She hated stripping, it was a last resort, but she wouldn't let him know that. She had never felt more dirty and worthless but all the same, she was taking some comfort in the thought of outshining Sam at her own slutty game.

She was a lot skinnier than the last time he had seen her, Hyde thought. And she didn't have the same spark in her eyes. They now looked vacant and empty. He wondered how much of his cruelty was responsible for that. She shouldn't be here. What could have possibly pushed her to start stripping? She was better than this. She had left Point Place to follow her dreams, to make it big. He had imagined a million scenerios over the years of what she could possibly be doing and imagining how miserable she was in a weak attempt to console himself but he had never thought this was possible. Now that he was sitting here in a sleazy club with Jackie sliding her skirt down her hips, he realized that he had always imagined those terrible things about her with the secret confidence that she was in fact doing great and had probably forgotten all about him. This isn't what he had wished on her. This wasn't his doll. His Jackie would have never paraded around naked in front of a bunch of horny old men for a few bucks. He remembered the grabber by the stage and the heat of his anger came rushing back to him. The thought of assholes like that looking at her, daring to touch her, made his blood boil. He wanted to shake some sense into her and started to get up but the flash of bare skin as her lacy panties dropped to the floor, stopped him dead in his tracks. God, she was beautiful.

* * *

"What time are you done here?" Hyde asked as she pulled her clothes back on.

"2 hours. Why?"

"Wanna go get a drink?"

"No thanks. It's been a long day." Jackie said, making a point not to look directly at him.

"How do you get home?"

"I walk."

"In this neighbourhood? No way, I'll come back and walk you back."

"I've been walking home by myself for months, Hyde." She snapped.

"Jackie, it's not safe for you to be walking around in the middle of the freaking night, dressed like that!"

"Oh shut up! Spare me your knight in shining armour crap. I've been taking care of myself every since the day you picked that slut over me so I sure as hell don't need you to protect or save me."

"Jackie..."

"You got what you paid for now get the hell out!" She spun on her heel and was gone before he could get another word out.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the delay. I had another idea for a story and if i didnt write it down, I would have forgotten it. Ok, so this chapter will explain a little more where Jackie had been over the past year and why she is now where she is. Italics are flashbacks.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it keeps me writing.

* * *

Jackie sat at her make up table and using a cotton ball with some cleanser on it, carefully removed the thick layer of make up covering her face. After Steven had left, she had changed her costume and had waitressed for the rest of the night. It was the only other job she could do since she wasn't officially doing lapdanses yet. She cringed at the day she would have to be alone in the little rooms with some strange creep and his pervy fantasies. Being on stage was one thing. There was a nice sense of detachment from the stage. The lights were bright in her eyes and the club was dark everywhere else so most of the time she could only hear the hollers. The men were blanketed in darkness. 

How did she come to this? She would love to blame it all on Steven. It would make things so easy then. Everyone seemed to think that he had broken her. In a way he had, he had hurt her terribly but no way had he broken her. She was more than a girl in love. None of her friends had figured that out though. Some friends they turned out to be. They all thought he had broken her and had done nothing about it. She was glad she barely spoke to them anymore. Michael and Brooke had been great. She loved them both but she'd been avoiding them more and more recently so she didn't have to see the look of pity on their faces. They meant well, she knew that but it made her feel even tinier than she felt.

No, it was life that had brought her here. She had learned a lot in the past year.

**

* * *

Actress **

"_No. You don't have the look." Mr. Anders said with a wave of the hand. "Next."_

"_Excuse me?" Jackie said incredulously. "You've barely even looked up from your stupid clip board. I'm Jackie Burkeheart. I'm perfect!"_

_Mr. Anders looked up from his clipboard in a bored manner. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Listen, Burkeheart. I see your type all the time. You're cute, I'll give you that. It might have worked for you in…" He glanced down at his clipboard again. "Point Place but we're in Chicago now. Pretty faces, are a dime a dozen here. What makes you special?"_

_Jackie was taken aback. She opened her mouth to answer him but found she had nothing to say._

"_Exactly. You're just a small town girl trying to make it big. Good luck to you but listen carefully because you are about to learn a valuable life lesson. You don't impress me. No one here knows you and no one here likes you. You need to get over yourself and your snotty attitude cause you're going nowhere fast."_

_Jackie felt the tears prickling her eyes so she snatched her purse up, thanked Mr. Anders for his time and left. She found the washroom as quickly as she could and locked herself in a stall. _

_What did make her special. She was beautiful. She had always known that and it had always been enough. But that was back in Point Place. Chicago was too busy to notice her. No one liked her here. _

**

* * *

Sales Consultant **

"_Jackie," Harriet said. "My office please."_

_With a smirk to her coworkers, Jackie followed Harriet to her office. _

"_Do you have any idea why I called you here Jackie?"_

"_I have the best sales this week?"_

"_No. We've had 5 complaints of you being rude this week."_

"_I was just being honest. They asked for my opinion."_

"_You told 2 customers we didn't carry moomoos and they should shop at the fat people store."_

"_I saved them the pain of trying on clothes that wouldn't fit them, destroying their self confidence and making them sadder and hungrier. Also, I saved our employees from wasting valuable time that they could have spent helping real customers. Wait… Is this about the employee of the month?" Jackie squealed happily. "I knew it."_

"_The employee of the month, is elected by the employees, Jackie. You are not a favourite."_

"_They're just jealous."_

"_Jackie, you've been here 6 weeks. So far you have tried to rearrange everything, you've told the senior staff in more ways than one that everything they were doing was wrong & you've tried to reschedule the sales plan."_

"_Oh my God! You're promoting me to management!"_

"_No, Jackie. I am letting you go."_

"_On a trip? Like a conference or a fashion show? Where is it? New York?"_

"_Jackie," Harriet, who usually was the sweetest of women, took a deep breath and continued. "You are rude, you're condescending, you're pushy, you're mean, you're clueless and you're fired. Collect your things, leave your swipe card and leave."_

**

* * *

Maid **

"_I'm all done Mrs. Lambert."_

"_Jackie, did you clean the washroom?"_

"_Ewww! It was dirty, I'm not touching that."_

"_The dishes are still in the sink."_

"_Of course they are. You have a dishwasher after all."_

"_Why are my towels grey?"_

"_I think there's something wrong with the detergent you buy. All your whites turned out greyish. Even that really expensive designer summer dress you wore to the company picnic last week. You looked great in that by the way."_

"_Didn't you separate the colours?"_

"_I saved time and energy by doing just one load. Oh but your black pants, your navy skirt and all your dark sweaters have these weird white spots on them. They just appeared. I think you might need to replace your washer."_

"_You used bleach?"_

"_Yup, and everything that isn't all blotchy and gross is now clean and fresh."_

"_What else did you do?"_

"_Well, I rearranged the furniture in your home office and filled all those documents that were scattered all over your desk. I made sure to throw away all the papers you had scribbled on or were covered in red pen. Then, I rearranged the family photo albums in order of cuteness. Then, I cleaned out your closets and donated all the old dated clothing you had plus all these boxes of tiny children's clothes your kids won't ever be able to wear again. They sure did take up a lot of space. Oh well, you have lot of room now. See you tomorrow!"_

"_NO… Forgive me. We won't be needing your services anymore Miss. Burkehart. Good day."_

**

* * *

Receptionist for a modelling agency **

"_Jackie, all these files are mixed up. I asked you to file these on Monday."_

"_I did. I filed them in order of hotness. See, they're easier for you this way. All the uggos go in the bottom drawer cause you'll never use them. The plain people and skanks in the middle drawer and all the hotties have their files on top so that you have easy access to them."_

"_Jackie, what's this?"_

"_That's my file of course! You can't have a hottie file without Jackie Burkeheart!"_

"_I need Shaun Frost's file now… he's coming in this afternoon."_

"_Oh. No he isn't. He called yesterday to say that he found a better agent so I shredded his file."_

"_WHAT!?"_

"_He wasn't that hot anyway. He had red hair! Eww. So I pulled some files of other boys who I think would work much better."_

"_How can you not tell me Frost found another agent. Yesterday? I could have won him back."_

"_Why bother. Oh look, this guy has a six pack."_

"_Jackie, the ad requires a man with red hair!"_

"_They're not going to sell shampoo with a model with red hair. Oh, this model has great hair."_

"_Jackie, this is you…"_

"_I know, and don't I just have the best hair you have ever seen? This company is going to sell so much of their shampoo that…"_

"_ENOUGH! Jackie, leave now."_

"_Oh no, you're not firing me are you?"_

"_Jackie, leave…"_

"_No! I can do better, I promise. I need this job, I've been fired 3 times in the last 2 months."_

"_I don't care. If I keep you around any longer, you are going to run my business into the ground. You're the worst employee I have ever had! It's going to take forever to sort out these files and now I need to hire a new receptionist."_

"_I'll fix it."_

"_NO! You've done enough. Why, why are you working? You clearly aren't made for work. You know, you're pretty enough, why don't you become some rich guy's trophy wife. If I looked like you and had no talent like you I would do the same."_

"_Please, I really need this job."_

"_I have let far too many things slide with you. I can't put up with this anymore. You're outta here."_

**

* * *

Waitress **

"_Eww! Get away pervert!"_

"_Jackie, what are you doing?" Jackie's roomate glanced around the room to make sure no one heard. "You're going to get fired."_

"_I can't help it, Charlie. These men are so grabby. If I had a nickel for every guy who made some nasty comment to me I would be rich again."_

"_You know, you could always come work with me. You'd get a lot more than a nickel per pervert."_

"_Eww, I am not going to be some dirty stripper."_

"_Hey!"_

"_No offence, Charlie."_

"_JACKIE!" The boss boomed from the back room._

'_Uh oh." Charlie tried to give her an optimistic smile but she knew what was coming. "Good luck."_

_While Jackie went to the back room to be chewed out by the boss, Charlie was left to her thoughts. Jackie had been fired so many times in the past few months and it was really taking a toll on her. Not only was she struggling to make rent, but even physically and mentally, Jackie looked worn down. As her roommate, Charlie saw the evolution of a confident, beautiful girl turn into a train wreck waiting to happen. _

"_I got fired. Again."_

"_Sorry, Jackie."_

"_Come on. I want to get out of here and go home."_

"_So what are you going to do now?"_

"_I have no idea. I don't think anyone in the city will hire me. I have no good references. Apparently I have no talent other than standing there and looking pretty. As long as I keep my mouth shut."_

"_Well, you know you could always come and work with me. The money is good and looking the way you do, you'd make a killing."_

"_Charlie, we've been through this before."_

"_What is your deal with strippers anyway. I'm a stripper, you seem to like me fine."_

"_I do like you. You've been an amazing friend ever since I moved in. It's just that… Well, I've had bad experiences with strippers."_

"_Like?"_

"_Can't we just leave it at that?"_

"_Not this time."_

"_Fine. You remember that guy that I told you about?"_

"_Steven or Michael?"_

"_Steven."_

"_Yeah, he married some random stranger during a night of binge drinking after he said he couldn't imagine a life with you." _

"_He married a random stripper who he stayed married to and flaunted in front of me. Apparently it wasn't good enough for her to ruin my love life but my friends were drooling all over her and Donna was more interested in making her feel welcome than caring if I was ok or not."_

"_Ok, your friends were pretty crappy but she doesn't sound like she did anything to hurt you on purpose."_

"_It wasn't that. She was a stripper, that's all she was. Just a skank. There was nothing else to her. She didn't have a thought in her stupid blonde head. She didn't know him or understand him or even try. She just brought him beer and fucked him. And Steven chose her over me. I gave him everything I could and he didn't want it. He chose some brainless slut over me. And then, after a few months, I finally think I have my life back together and it turns out she was married to some other guy all along. They weren't even married. How could she do that to him? How could she not tell him?"_

"_Oh, Jackie… I'm so sorry. But, I'll bet you're hotter than her."  
_

"_Oh, I so am!"_

"_You've met the girls at my work. We're not all brainless sluts."_

"_Oh, I know! I never meant to imply that you are. I used to think all strippers were but Sam was really the only stripper I knew."_

"_Just think about it Jackie. You would make more in a week than you would in a month doing anything else. You're a great dancer so you could probably strip better than Sam. Besides, I really think you are out of options now."_

"_Fine, I'll think about it. But I'm not making any promises."_

Jackie was true to her word. She did think about it. After about 3 weeks of few interviews and even fewer call-backs, she was down to two choices. She could go back to Point Place, where she would have to admit to everyone that she had been a complete failure. She'd have to rely on her phantom mother, if she ever came back from whatever tropical place she was drinking dry, and her crook of a father who still had another year of incarceration before him. They would try to find her some rich guy she could marry and she'd spend the rest of her life a snobby, gossiping socialite or she'd turn into her mother and sleep with the pool boy every time her husband went on a business trip. When she thought of it that way, stripping didn't seem that bad at all.

When she had first moved to Chicago and met Charlie, she had found a new best friend. Charlie was beautiful and confident, which Jackie could very much relate to and she was brilliant. She was studying Sociology at the University of Chicago. One day she wanted to be a lawyer and specifically represent women who had been abused or discriminated against. This feminism reminded her of Donna but it was different. Donna was more aggressive in her feminism. Charlie took pride in being a woman, she loved fashion, make up and hair. She figured that if women abandoned all the girly things that made them women, they weren't raising themselves up to equality. It only proved that being a woman was a weaker state of being. For the first time in her life, Jackie finally understood and it made her a better person.

When she found out that Charlie stripped in order to pay for rent and school, she had been pretty torn. Part of her wanted to hate Charlie. She had only ever known one stripper before and well... that really just spoke for itself. She had really thought that all strippers were like that, dumb and slutty. But Charlie wasn't slutty at all. She had been dating this guy, Ryan for years. Charlie was so much more than a stripper. She was the best friend Jackie had always wanted.

Charlie did make good money at the strip club. And she still had lots of time left over for school, her boyfriend and her friends. If there was anything Jackie was great at it was being appealing to men. Her options were slim now that she had been fired from every job she had had for the past year. Maybe stripping wasn't all that bad...


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hello everyone. I am very sorry for the delay. I got caught up in another story and the ideas were just pouring out of me. Fortunately, I have hit a bit of a slump there so here I am back here. I must also blame the lack of Jackie/Hyde appearances in recent That 70's Show reruns. I seem to write better when I can actually see them interact. Anyhow, I will be devoting the next few weeks getting back on track with this story so you can expect more frequent updates here. Thank you and please review!

Jackie's First Week at Work

_Day 1_

The strip club was dingy, the area was rough and the men were creeps. Jackie followed Charlie around the first day and practiced all the proper dance moves. Jackie had a natural grace to her. While Charlie was on stage, she got to waitress.

Jackie wondered why they worked in such a rundown strip club when there were dozens of expensive strip clubs in town. She had no doubt that Charlie would get in and anyone could tell that she was too classy for this place. While she pondered these things, carrying test tube shots around the club, a drunken, middle aged man grabbed at her, pulling her onto his lap. The shots went crashing to the floor and she shrieked. The man, oblivious to the carnage he had caused, tried to fondle her breasts while he licked her cheek. Jackie flipped around and smacked him hard across the face. Her skin was crawling but she was burning with rage. She yanked herself out of his grip and turned to put her stiletto into his balls when the bouncers appeared, shoving the drunken man, none too gently out of the club.

Running to the back room, Jackie scrubbed her face, trying to wash away the disgusting feeling of the man's tongue on her. She scrubbed until her cheek was red and her mascara ran. She hadn't even known she was crying. Ginger came in after her.

"Hey, Sweetie. I'm sorry that you had to go through that on your first day. You're a pretty girl, I can't promise it won't happen again. But I can promise you the minute you are in trouble, the minute one of those guys crosses the limit, we will shove his out of here pronto. I know this is a crappy club but I take care of my girls. Other strip clubs will look away if the client has fat pockets. You never have to do anything here that you are uncomfortable with. Understand?"

Jackie nodded.

"Ok, darling. Take your time, pull yourself back together. We will need you out there eventually though."

Ginger left and Jackie looked at herself in the mirror. Her so called waterproof mascara streaking around her eyes & her left cheek red and puffy. Could she really do this? Did she have a choice? Charlie did it, she was ok. But Charlie was so much stronger than her. She was smart and educated and had a career ahead of her. What did Jackie have? A pretty face. Maybe she was stuck here. _Well, Jackie thought, Steven wanted a stripper wife. If only he had waited a little longer then maybe we could have both been happy. _

She put her make up back on, rearranged herself and walked back into the club with her head held high.

_Day 2_

The tips had been scarce on the first day and rent was due in only 2 weeks. Well, she would have to do this sooner or later. Jackie walked over to Ginger and asked for her turn on the stage. Ginger asked if she was sure and Jackie assured her that she was. Ginger asked her to pick a stage name and then she could go on.

"What's wrong with Jackie!" She said waving her hands out and smiled flashily.

"Trust me, honey. You do not want these guys to know your real name. What's your middle name?"

"Beulah."

"Booboo."

"No, Beulah." Jackie repeated slowly.

"I know, your show name is Booboo." Ginger said. "Now go get ready, you're on in 15 minutes."

Jackie ran to the back and picked out the cheerleader uniform. She would be a natural in this. Charlie came by to see how she was doing.

"Pretend you're dancing in front of a mirror. The only one watching is you. Ignore the crowd, the calls, everything. Remember, Ginger doesn't tolerate any crap from the customers. You're safe out there. Nervous?"

"Nope," Jackie said with a smile. And then she heard the announcer.

"Introducing, a luscious new lady. Get ready for this buxom brunette and give a warm welcome to Booboo!"

"Yes!" Jackie screeched.

"Dancing in front of the mirror," Charlie reminded her and pushed Jackie out on stage.

The lights were blinding and the room was dark so other than the calls in the audience, Jackie really could imagine she was dancing by herself. She began one of her cheer routines from high school and soon enough she was comfortable again. The audience loved her and even in their drunken stupor were able to appreciate the authenticity of her act. Jackie made nearly 5 times more in tips than the previous night.

_Day 3_

Charlie was going to spend a week Ryan and his folks at a ski resort. As an early Christmas present, Ryan gave her a key to his apartment and asked her to move in with him. Jackie was thrilled for her. Of course she would miss her best friend but Charlie and Ryan had been together for years and it was about time they took the next step in their relationship. Unfortunately for Jackie, this meant she either needed a new roommate or she would be looking for a new place to stay soon. She needed to make a lot of money, quick. She requested more stage time and her request was granted. The clients loved her and they tipped her well. She still felt dirty being around them and still couldn't understand why men even went to strip clubs anyway?

"Take a look at these guys," Charlie explained. "They've probably never had a girl like you look at them."

"Obviously. They're gross."

"Haven't you ever liked someone and really, really wanted them to notice you but they didn't?"

"Have you seen me?" Jackie asked, "I'm pretty and I have a loud, shrill voice. How can you ignore that?"

"There must be someone your loud shrill voice hasn't lured in." Charlie said with a giggle.

Jackie thought. Nope, she had caught the attention of all the guys she wanted to. She did remember Hyde's harsh haiku though and how much it had hurt. That was a long time ago though and she did eventually pull him in. Just as she knew she would, she thought proudly. But I wasn't able to keep him, she realized, no matter how hard I tried. She remembered the toe ring, the fake tattoo, the bad girl attitude she had tried to win him back. She would have done anything to get him to look at her... Oh.

"Ok. I have never not gotten my man," Jackie said. "But I think I get what you mean."

From then on, Jackie began to feel something she never had before. Sympathy for the uggos, as she liked to call it. She still was Jackie after all. Soon, she managed to disconnect herself from her job. She was able to flirt with the guys now, let them feel like they were special if just for a little bit and her tips got better. Maybe she would be ok now. Even with Charlie moving out.

_Day 4_

This was bad! This was very, very, very bad!!! She didn't usually make eye contact with the clients while she was onstage but this one looked familiar. She noticed him at the very end of her act. His eyes were wide and his mouth hanging. She rushed off the stage as quickly as she could.

Of all the people to walk into the club tonight while she was dancing, why oh why did it have to be Michael Kelso? What was she going to do? Maybe if she hid out back here he would leave and she wouldn't have to face him. Maybe she could pretend she was sick and sneak out the back without him noticing. But wait! What if he told the gang? She could only imagine the humiliation. She would never be able to go back to Point Place again. Donna would be so disappointed in her and Steven… She didn't even want to think of the cruel horrible things he would say. She had to find Michael and make him promise to keep his mouth shut.

She dressed quickly and rushed out. A few of the usuals called to her but she ignored them and ran by. Where had he gone? She had to find him before he left. Finally she noticed him knocking back shots with a few of his friends. They hollered when she came close but she ignored it, grabbed his elbow and yanked him into one of the private rooms. Kelso's friends cheered him on.

"Damn it, Jackie," Kelso complained tugging his arm away. "You're hurting my arm."

"Michael!"

"Is this why you haven't been answering our calls?"

Jackie looked away and sighed.

"If you need help," Michael said, "Brooke and I can help you. You don't have to do this."

"I don't need help, Michael." Jackie snapped.

"Holy crap! Wait till the guys hear this. Hyde is going to feel like such and idiot. You're a much better stripper than Sam was."

"Michael! Don't you dare say… really? I'm a better stripper than Sam?"

"Oh yeah! And you're hotter too. How come you didn't do any of this when we were dating? I would have cheated on you less. Ouch! My shins!"

Jackie crossed her arms and glared at him. "You'd better not tell anyone, Michael! I mean it."

"Jackie, you know I can't keep secrets!"

"Michael! If you don't keep your mouth shut, I will tell everyone about the time you got really drunk and woke up naked in Fez's bed!"

"UH! That was one time, _Jackie_! And it's not like we did anything."

"That's not what I'm going tell them. I was in the next room. I can tell them all about the squeaky mattress and the cries of pleasure."

"But that lying." Michael said.

"So? It's what I do."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh, I _so_ would!"

"Fine!" Michael said and crossed his arms. "So, can I get a lap dance? OW! OW! Damn, Jackie! What is with all the hitting?"

_Day 5_

Before he had left yesterday, Michael had tried to convince her to come to dinner on Christmas Eve. The entire gang would be there and Michael promised to keep his mouth shut and not rat her out, She had turned him down right away and said she had to work. Kelso had been disappointed but he told her the invitation was opened and he was sure they would all want to see her. Betsy had been asking for her since she gave the very best girly presents.

Christmas Eve was tomorrow so she didn't have much time to think it over. She missed Betsy too. She loved unicorns as much as Jackie had. What little girl didn't? She missed Brooke too. She was in no rush to see her old friends though. They hadn't exactly made much of an effort to keep in touch with her either. She did wonder how Donna was doing though.

She had gone through a brief period of hating Donna after she had moved away. During her eventless days without a job or a future, Jackie had found herself pondering how she had gotten here and how Donna had so quickly and easily befriended Sam. Jackie knew she was sad about Eric and although she had tried her best to be there for Donna, she soon found herself brushed off again when Donna began mooning over Randy. Still, she had been Jackie's best friend at one point.

Maybe she could drop by for a little bit. How would that go?

_So, Jackie, what have you been up to?_

_Oh, I've become a complete hypocrite and become a stripper. _

Oh no! That wouldn't do at all. She would have to face Steven. What cruel things had he thought up since the last time she had seen him? Did she even want to see him again? Maybe she could kick him in the shins and tell him he was a jerk who had never deserved her. Maybe she would still be in love with him and end up making an idiot out of herself. What if she threw herself at him. Well, she just wan't going to let that happen. She wasn't going and that was final.

Jackie went and found Ginger and told her she would like a double shift tomorrow. The less time she had to herself, the less time she would have to think and possibly change her mind.

AN: Ok, not very eventful. I know my timeline is all over the place in this fic but I think we need a little more insight on Jackie's past before we can move on with her future. Please review. It speeds up my writing. Really it does!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Thank you to all those who reviewed. You really do push me to keep writting. So the timeline is messed up again. We are back to the night Hyde saw Jackie at the stripclub and this takes places a little later that evening. Review again, or for the first time! Please and thank you.

* * *

Michael Kelso walked down the hall while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He reached the front door and looked out through the peephole. 

"Who is it Michael?" Brooke asked, appearing behind him.

"It's ok, Brooke. Go back to bed. I'll be fine."

Brooke nodded and headed back. Kelso sighed and opened the door. Oh the other side, Hyde stood awkwardly. Neither said anything for some time. Kelso walked back inside and motioned for Hyde to follow him. With the door locked behind them, they headed towards the living room, the scene of their dispute.

"That was a pretty good shot earlier," Hyde finally said.

"Yeah, you deserved it."

"Yeah, I did. I didn't know."

"You saw her?"

"Yup."

"Weird huh?"

"Yeah." Hyde paused for a long time. "Did I really mess her up that bad?"

"Maybe."

Hyde sighed. "What the fuck do I do now?"

"What?"

"How do I get her out of there and back home?"

"Um… what if she doesn't want to go home?"

Hyde gave Kelso a look.

"She could have gone home on her own," Kelso continued. "Her parents are still rich. She doesn't have to do this. I think she wants to."

"Kelso, that's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Have you met Jackie? She doesn't want to work. She hates strippers."

"Who's fault is that?"

"Whatever, man. But Jackie does not want to be a stripper. I'm going to bring her home."

"Hyde, no offence but what the hell do you know about what she wants?"

Hyde crossed his arms and glared hard at Kelso. "What?"

"I'm just saying man. You have a track record of making her cry."

"So do you!"

"But I'm not trying to rescue her. She might not even need rescuing. Did you even ask her what she wants?"

"What the hell are you talking about? She's stripping in front of strange men. Some guy tried to grab her today. What if she gets hurt?"

"You still love her."

"What? No! What?" Hyde frogged Kelso in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Whatever." Hyde said crossing his arms.

"You so love her. You never stopped."

"Kelso, if you don't shut up…"

"Ok, ok. You don't love her." Kelso said rolling his eyes but quickly added in a hushed voice. "Yes you do. OW! Hyde!"

"Whatever, man. I am going back there. Maybe I can talk to her after her shift." Hyde got up and headed for the door.

* * *

Jackie counted her tips for the day. Perfect. She now had enough for rent and she still had a little extra. She could eat something other than ramen noodles this week. She went to the bartender and changed the dollar bills for larger ones then tucked the new notes into her purse. Usually she walked home with Charlie but tonight she was all alone. She had pepper spray in her purse and her apartment really wasn't all that far. She could do this. Ginger would have sent one of the bodyguards to walk her home or drive her but she didn't want to ask. She needed to stop relying on other people to take care of her and make her feel safe. All the people she had trusted before had always let her down. No one would take better care of her than herself.

She pushed the door and headed out into the cold night. Her heels clicked against the pavement and she shivered beneath her jacket. The streets were dark and there were a few lingering people wandering. She felt a sharp stab in the pit of her stomach. It was like someone was watching her. She sped up her steps and looked straight in front of her, trying to block the rest of the world out around her. Then she heard steps behind her. She swallowed heavily and slipped her hand into her purse looking for the pepper spray. Her fingers closed around the cool metallic can. She pulled it out and slipped it into pocket. The steps behind her sped up. She walked on faster. She was only half way home. She should have taken a cab. She could feel the person behind her catching up. He was only paces behind her and she was terrified. Gripping the pepper spray in her pocket she tried to pop off the top. The safety latch stuck and she couldn't get it open. Who had designed this thing? How many people got mugged because they couldn't get the damn safety off?

The person behind her suddenly picked up speed and dashed by her almost knocking her off her feet. He was pulling at her purse. That was her rent money! She tugged at the purse and tried with one hand to yank it away from him. Her other hand was still struggling with the damn pepper spray. Open damn it!

"Hey! Get away from her!" Came a voice from somewhere behind her.

Finally, the safety gave and she pulled it out of her pocket and aimed it at her assailant. Unfortunately, her purse strap broke at the very same time and she lost her balance and went tumbling to the ground. She heard more yelling and the mugger ran away. Some one else was here too and he was trying to pick her up.

"Get away from me," She screeched blasting the pepper spray wildly.

"Jackie! Knock it off."

"Hyde?"

"Fuck. You could have sprayed me with that?"

"What are you doing here?" Jackie demanded.

"Saving you," Hyde said yanking her to her feet.

"I told you I don't need a bodyguard, Hyde!"

"Will you shut up? You just got mugged."

The anger suddenly drained from Jackie and was quickly replaced with panic.

"Oh, no. No, no, no! You couldn't have gone after him?"

"I wanted to make sure you were ok!"

"Well I'm not! I can't pay rent anymore!" Jackie huffed and stomped down the street towards her building. Hyde followed her silently and Jackie didn't protest. After a few minutes they got to the front door and Jackie buzzed the superintendent.

"What do you want?" Came the answer over the intercom.

"Hi Mr. Turner. It's Jackie from apartment 301. I just got mugged and the guy took off with my purse. Can you let me in?"

Mr. Turner groaned and buzzed her in. They went inside and climbed the stairs where Mr. Turner was waiting for them in his jogging pants and greasy t-shirt. He unlocked the door for Jackie and handed her the key. He could only make a new copy for her sometime next week due to the holidays.

"Make sure you don't lose this one too," Turner said roughly, already walking away.

"Wait a second, Mr. Turner." Jackie said. "I… I'm going to need maybe another week before I can hand in rent."

"What?"

"See when my purse was stolen it had my money in it…"

"I don't care what happened," Turner said grumpily. "You give me that money by the first or you are going to get evicted."

"But Mr. Turner, I got mugged."

"Boohoo, baby. That's your problem not mine."

"Hey lay off of her man." Hyde who had been standing quietly behind Jackie suddenly spoke up. "She's had a rough day. What difference does a week make?"

"Was I talking to you?" Turner snarled.

"Hyde, shut up," Jackie hissed under her breath, "You're just making it worse." She tried to plead with the landlord again. "Please, Mr. Turner. I can get you the money but I just need a little more time."

"You've been late with rent 4 times in the past 6 months."

"This is the last time, Mr. Turner. Please? It's Christmas!"

"I'm Jewish."

"No, you're not."

"Fine, I'm not but you're not getting an extension." And with that Turner spun on his heels and left.

Jackie sighed and went inside. She went into the kitchen and got a glass from the cupboard. She filled it up at the sink and gulped it down. Then she refilled it again. She was hungry so she looked in the fridge. There was bread, half a carton of orange juice, a few carrots and small tub of margarine. She shut the door again and went to find Hyde. He was in the living room and looking around.

"I'm ordering pizza," Jackie announced. "You're paying."

"Okay," Hyde said, not daring to contradict her.

Jackie went back to the kitchen and made the call. The apartment was girly but not in the way he had ever known Jackie to be. The colours were subtle and delicate with light green and lots of white and only little splashes of pink. The furniture was white and aged. It looked pretty used which he never thought Jackie would do. For some reason he remembered that this style was called Parisian. He couldn't remember if Jackie had shown him that or Mrs. Forman had. Either way, he had been expecting psychedelic pillows, lots of hot pink and girly flowers or unicorns. Jackie really had grown up.

"So, why are you here?" Jackie asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Uh…"

"Did Michael tell you? I knew that moron couldn't keep secrets."

"No. He didn't tell me. He punched me when I said something stupid at dinner and kicked me out. I went into the strip club trying to forget about you?"

"Forget about me? Why were you thinking about me in the first place?'

"You know me. I was being a jerk as usual."

"Yeah, you're a pro at that."

"Listen, Jackie, I think you should come home."

"No."

"You dad should be getting out soon. Your mom has been spotted around the bars lately."

"No."

"If you don't want to stay with them, Mrs. Forman will gladly take you in. She's been complaining that she never gets to see us anymore."

"Hyde! Shut up, will you? I said no."

"Jackie, you're a stripper."

"So?"

"So? You hate strippers?"

"No, I hate sluts. Like your whore of an ex-wife."

"Oh, get over it," Hyde said rolling his eyes.

"No. You couldn't get over the time I said "get off my boyfriend" to Kelso or that Kelso came into my room wearing a towel even though we didn't do anything but why should you right? All you did was cheat on me with a nurse, blow me off after I chose you, told me to have a good trip when all I wanted to hear from you is that we had a future, marry a stripper even though you weren't ready for marriage, watch me fall into a dirty river twice, call me a slut and treat me like shit for a year before I finally give you what you want and stay out of your life. Why don't I just get over it? Stupid me!"

Hyde groaned. "Look, I know I fucked up. I know. I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. I don't want anything from you. I want you to pay for my pizza then leave me the hell alone. I am finally taking care of myself and you come in all of a sudden trying to whisk me away to safety."

"You call this taking care of yourself? You can't even pay rent!"

"Screw you, Hyde. I can manage without you. I have been doing it for years now."

"I'm not leaving you here to parade around in front of strange men for money!"

"Why the hell not? Your wife did."

"Cause I didn't care about her!"

"Ha! So what are you saying? You care about me?"

"Whatever." Hyde said.

"Yeah, whatever. You haven't changed at all." Jackie said shaking her head.

"What do you want me to say? That I still love you? That I never stopped? Fine. I love you. I've always loved you and I'm miserable without you. Better now?"

Jackie just laughed. "What makes you think that I would believe you and more importantly, what makes you think that I even care?"

"Whatever," Hyde said and looked out the window towards the brick wall it faced. Suddenly he spun around yanking his wallet out of his pocket. He flipped it opened and pulled something out. He flipped it to her like one would flip a coin. Jackie caught it in mid air. She opened her hand slowly to reveal a solitaire diamond ring.

"There," Hyde said. "That's how you believe me. I have walked around with that damn ring on me for the past 2 years."

"So?" Jackie said. She knew why and she was smiling inside but she knew she could squeeze it out of him.

"So? What do you mean so? I kept your damn engagement ring for 2 damn years cause I… cause the pawn shop didn't want it."

Jackie raised her eyebrow. "The pawn shop didn't want a 0.75 carat, flawless, brilliant cut, F grade diamond?"

Hyde looked at her stunned. "Ok, I know you're making that up but you're not that far off."

Jackie just rolled her eyes. "So what? You've been carrying this around with some secret fantasy that one day I'd just forget about all the shitty things you did to me and take you back with open arms?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"How do I know? You fucked up, you fix it."

"So I have a chance?"

"You can try."

"Jackie…" Hyde started to say but the buzzer sounded to announce the pizza guy.

* * *

AN: Review! Tell me what you think, what is right, what is wrong, or even rate it from 1-10. 1 being terrible and 10 being great! Thanks for reading. 


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I was pissed off in general when I wrote this so it turned out a little vicious. I still think it's fitting so it will remain as such. WARNING to Donna fans, she isn't portrayed very kindly here but I can't say that I find it OOC either. Regardless, like it, hate it, let me know.

I accept flames as long as you have concrete points to back up your opinion. For example, I will ignore such comments as, "Your story sucks!" but I will respond to such reviews as "This entire story is irritating because your portrayal of all the characters is so far fetched they no longer resemble the original characters."

Thanks. Enjoy.

* * *

"You're a stripper!"

Well, lunch was going well so far, Jackie thought. She should have expected this. Damn Hyde for convincing her to come today. Damn her for not having any food in the house. ANd damn her for feeling so incredibly lonely during the holidays that she just couldn't resist the temptation of a gathering with her old friends. She _had_ been glad to see them all again. It was a bit like a homecoming. Betsy had been so happy to see her and she had loved the little emerald necklace Jackie had bought her. Jackie had pinched pennies for months to buy her Goddaughter something special for Christmas and the look on Betsy's face was worth every skipped meal and mended garment. Lunch had started out smoothly enough but inevitably, Donna had asked her what she was doing these days and she had replied working. Everyone had scoffed. Hyde, Brooke and Kelso had done their best to steer the conversation in another direction but Donna was as stubborn as ever and had probed until Jackie told the truth with her head held high and no hint of shame in her voice.

"Oh my God, Jackie! You're such a hypocrite," Donna wailed. "All that shit you said about Sam and you turn around and do the exact same thing."

The table got eerily silent. Fez, whose eyes had initially lit up at the thought of Jackie stripping, was suddenly very immersed in his mashed potatoes. His fiance, Anna, felt the tension immediately and not wanting to have any part in this conversation, excused herself to go to the bathroom. Eric eyes looked like they would fall out of his head. Brooke and Kelso were watching Jackie closely, ready to intervene on their friends behalf if she should need any help. Hyde was glaring at Donna from behind his dark frames but his expression was unreadable.

"It pays the bills," Jackie replied airily. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and forked a carrot.

"Pays the bills? You're a stripper, Jackie! You take off your clothes for money. Don't you have any self respect?"

"Since when have you had a problem with strippers, Donna? Or is it because I don't have an awesome car that I disgust you?"

"Are you accusing me of being shallow?"

"I should know, right? I'm as shallow as they come," Jackie smiled sourly. "So did you ever go back to school? Or did you toss your beliefs out the window again to be with your boyfriend? You're not a very good feminist, Donna."

"At least I have morals! Did you spend all of your Daddy's money? Is that why you're whoring yourself? You don't have to do that, Jackie. We're your friends, we would have helped you!"

Jackie threw her head back and crowed with laughter. "Oh, Donna! For a smart girl, you're pretty fucking clueless. We haven't been friends for a long time, babe."

"What are you talking about, Jackie? You're the one who left, remember? You left and you stopped calling. You cut us out of your life."

"Did I? Maybe I got tired of being ignored. You know how I like being the centre of attention. Maybe I was sick of your _I love Eric, I hate Eric, Randy's so hot, I miss Eric, I want to go to school, I want to stay with Eric, I'm the only one in the world with problems, we need to make Sam feel welcome, Oh my God, Sam, you have the worlds coolest car!_"

"I was having a rough year!" Donna yelled, as if she was exhausted from having to repeat it so many times.

"Boohoo. Name one time I wasn't there for you. What's that? I can't hear you?"

"I never said you weren't there for me," Donna sounded defensive now.

"You think you were having a rough year? Eric was in Africa. He wasn't parading his wife in front of you, he wasn't burning you, he wasn't constantly reminding you that you weren't good enough for him or that a random stranger made him happy when you failed to do that."

"You said you were over it, that you didn't care anymore."

"See what I mean. That bleach must have seeped into your brain. What Hyde did was bad enough but you? You can sit there and claim to be my friend?"

"I am your friend!"

"No, you used to be my friend. You traded down when that blonde airhead showed you her car. Remember how humiliated you were when Casey left you? How would you have liked it if I had invited you and his new girlfriend over for a sleepover."

"You said you were over it," Donna repeated.

"No, I was over you. So keep your judgmental opinions inside of that thick red skull of yours. I stopped giving a shit about what you thought a long time ago."

"Jackie, don't try to turn this on me..." Donna began her voice turning reproachful once again.

"Donna, shut up," the table said unanimously.

Donna's mouth hung open. "You're taking her side? All of you? Eric?"

Eric's eyes were glued to the table. "It's her choice what she does," he said shrugging his shoulders.

"How can you say that? She's a stripper! She's worse than her hussy of a mom!"

What happened next, no one could have expected. Donna's chair tipped back and she went crashing into the floor. She cupped her bleeding nose with one hand and stared up in bewilderment along with the other occupants of the table.

"Brooke?"

"Get. out. of. my. house. now." Brooke was standing still as stone, her hand still clenched in a tight fist, the anger radiating off of her body.

"What the hell, Brooke," Donna said getting to her feet. Eric helped her half heartedly. "I think you broke my nose."

"Consider yourself lucky," Brooke replied icily.

"What, I can't even voice an opinion?" Donna attempted but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"For God's sake, Donna," Jackie snapped. "Shut your big fat mouth. No one gives a damn about your holier than thou crap."

Donna turned to her friends looking for someone to back her up. Fez was avoiding her gaze, Hyde was glaring at her even from beneath his glasses and even Eric couldn't look her in the eye. Jackie's arms were crossed over her chest, she looked defiant, like she was daring Donna to say another word. Brooke had never looked so scary so Donna looked to Kelso as her last resort.

"Seriously, Donna." Kelso said seriously. "Get the hell out."

Eric yanked her by the arm towards the door. He still couldn't look her in the eye. Eric would gladly support Donna in anything she said or did, he had done so countless times before but even he couldn't stomach her at the moment. His shoulders were stiff and he was none too gentle with her. He pulled her jacket off of the hook and tossed it at her then picked up his own.

"Brooke, thanks for having us in your home. It was good seeing everyone again. I'm sorry it ended like this."

He turned to go but stopped considering for a moment. "Jackie, my parents keep asking about you. Could you call them when you get a chance?"

"Sure, Eric," Jackie said with an honest smile.

Eric nodded. "Take care of yourself," he said sincerely.

Eric opened the door and walked out. Donna, who somehow had the audacity to look furious, followed silently.

"Donna," Jackie's voice called out just as she was about to close the door.

Donna paused.

"Stings when your friends turn on you, doesn't it?"

To everyone's surprise, Donna just bit her lip and shut the door.

Brooke sat down. Silent minutes stretched on with everyone entertaining their own thought. Fez' fiance came back into the room and sat down wordlessly. It was Hyde who finally broke the tension.

"We need a circle!"


End file.
